1. Technical Field
Generally, the invention relates to vacuum cleaners. Particularly, the invention relates to a dirt collecting system for a vacuum cleaner. Even more particularly, the invention relates to a dirt collecting system for use in a bagless vacuum cleaner.
2. Background Information
Upright vacuum cleaners are well known in the art. Typically, these upright vacuum cleaners include a vacuum cleaner housing pivotally mounted to a vacuum cleaner foot. The foot is formed with a nozzle opening and may include an agitator mounted therein for loosening dirt and debris from a floor surface. A motor may be mounted to either the foot or the housing for producing suction at the nozzle opening. The suction at the nozzle opening picks up the loosened dirt and debris and produces a stream of dirt-laden air which is ducted to the vacuum cleaner housing.
In conventional vacuum cleaners, the dirt laden air is ducted into a vacuum cleaner filter bag supported on or within the vacuum cleaner housing. However, bagless vacuum cleaners have recently become prevalent in the marketplace. These bagless vacuum cleaners duct the stream of dirt-laden air into a dirt cup having a dirt collecting system which filters the dirt particles from the air stream before exhausting the filtered air stream into the atmosphere. Various dirt collecting systems have been used on these bagless vacuum cleaners to separate the dirt particles from the air stream. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 946,535 discloses a receptacle having a filter element upstream of an exhaust opening of the receptacle. The dirt particles are separated from the air stream by the filter element before the air stream exits the receptacle. U.S. Pat. No. 2,768,707 discloses a cyclonic separator which uses a tangential input in combination with a cone of decreasing top to bottom cross sectional dimension. As the air stream enters the cone in a tangential direction, the dirt particles are released from the air stream due to centrifugal force and gravity. Other known bagless vacuum cleaners include a dirt cup having a single cylindrical filter element positioned therein whereby the air is input tangentially into the dirt cup to create a cyclonic action within the dirt cup chamber. This cyclonic action causes the larger dirt particles contained in cyclonic air stream to fall therefrom due to the centrifugal force and gravity. The smaller dirt particles are then separated by the filter element as the air stream flows through the filter element and is exhausted from the dirt cup.
Although these bagless vacuum cleaners are adequate for the purpose for which they are intended, mechanical separation of dirt particles may sufficiently separate the relatively large dirt particles from the air stream but it is well known that some type of filter element is typically required to separate the fine dirt particles from the air stream. Further, the cleaners having a single chamber with a filter element mounted therein subject the filter element to both the large particles and the small particles causing the filter element to clog. This clogged filter element results in reduction in the airflow through the vacuum cleaner which, in turn, results in reduced performance of the vacuum cleaner.
Therefore, the need exists for a new and improved dirt collecting system for a bagless vacuum cleaner which is capable of separating both large particles and small particles from a stream of air, and which separates the large particles from the air stream before the air stream is filtered by the filter element.
Objectives of the invention include providing a new and improved dirt collecting system for use in a bagless vacuum cleaner.
A further objective is to provide a new and improved dirt collecting system which provides improved sustained filtration performance.
A still further objective is to provide a new and improved dirt collecting system for use in a bagless vacuum cleaner which may be easily emptied after use.
These and other objectives will be readily apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
In carrying out the invention in one form thereof, these objectives and advantages are obtained by providing a dirt collecting system, including a first dirt collecting chamber; a second dirt collecting chamber laterally disposed relative to the first dirt collecting chamber; and an apertured wall extending between the first and second dirt collecting chambers, said apertured wall being formed with an aperture which provides fluid communication between said first and second dirt collecting chambers.